Paul Molitor

Paul Leo Molitor
Born: Aug. 22, 1956 in St. Paul, Minn.
Debut: 1978 | Pos: DH/3B
H: 6' | W: 185 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the Paul Molitor biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Paul Molitor's playing career ended with impressive numbers -- a career average of .306, 235 home runs, 1307 RBI and 3319 hits.  He was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2004.

Known mostly for his line-drive hitting ability, Molitor's 3319 career hits include 605 doubles and 114 triples. In 1996, he drove in a career-high 113 run and hit just nine home runs. His career high was 22 home runs in a season -- coming in 1993 -- and he never hit more than 20 in any other season of his career.

When he debuted with Milwaukee in 1978, he was used mainly at second base. As his career developed, he spent time at shortstop, third, some games at first and even some outfield appearances.

However, the one dark spot in his otherwise stellar career came in the form of injuries. A number of assorted injuries cost him some 500 games in his 21-year career. Those injuries led to Molitor being shifted to designated hitter.

Molitor also displayed excellent speed on the bases. From 1982-1983, he stole 82 bases and was caught just 17 times in the two seasons. His career totals were 504 stole bases and he was caught just 131 times.

He led the league in runs and hits three times each and appeared in six All-Star games. In 1982, he became baseball's first player to collect five hits in a World Series game. He also posted a 39-game hitting streak in 1987.

Molitor was named the MVP of the 1993 World Series when he hit .500 in the Blue Jays win over the Phillies. He finished with 12 hits in 24 at-bats with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored (tied the WS record).

In 1996, the 40-year-old hit .341 led the AL with 225 hits. That season, he collected his 3,000th hit on a triple.

Following the 1999 season, Twins manager Tom Kelly hired Molitor to serve as a coach for Minnesota.